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DC Michelin Guide to Be Released Thursday

On Thursday, D.C. will get its first edition of the legendary Michelin Guides to world-class restaurants. News4's Eun Yang talks with international director Michael Ellis about what foodies can expect, how restaurants will be evaluated and how anonymous inspectors operate. (Published Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016)

Washington, D.C., will join the ranks of New York, San Francisco and Chicago, on Thursday and get its first Michelin Guide to the city’s growing restaurant scene.

All over the world, the Michelin Guide helps travelers and residents in select cities identify the best dining a city has to offer.

Michael Ellis, Michelin Guides' international director, told News4’s Eun Yang that anonymous inspectors rate restaurants on a one to three-star scale using five criteria:

Quality of ingredients

Mastery of cooking technique

The harmony and balance of flavors

Regularity over time and throughout the menu

Value for your money

The inspectors, qualified by their cooking or hotel school background, always pay their bills, which Ellis said ensures that they are independent. Many of them are also former chefs.

Bon Appetit magazine named D.C. their restaurant city of the year in August, and a Michelin Guide is another testament to what the city's restaurants have to offer.

“We’ve been looking at the D.C. area for quite a while now, and we noticed a real evolution, a real dynamic, going on in the cooking scene,” Ellis said. “We thought the timing was good, so we started last year, and we came up with what we think is a very good selection.”

“Our inspectors are looking for good food, well-prepared, with a chef who is in charge of the kitchen, in charge of his team and producing very good food at a very moderate, reasonable price,” Ellis told News4. "We were amazed at how many restaurants fit this bill in D.C. and the variety.”

Keep an eye out for the complete guide Thursday, and be prepared to make reservations.